Free · Source-backed · Every number sourced
The number on the can isn't the dose.
Milligrams. Dots. Milligrams-per-gram. Every market labels nicotine pouches differently - and none of it tells you how much nicotine actually reaches you, or how fast. We decode it, with measured data and zero sales pitch.
Proof · measured in a lab
Three real pouches. All labeled 6 mg. Not the same dose.
These aren't estimates - they're lab measurements of three US pouches, each labeled 6 mg. Nearly identical total nicotine, but pH swings the free (absorbable) amount by more than 2×.
- ZYN Cool Mint Mini 6mgpH 8.44 · 3.71 mg free
- on! 6mgpH 9.58 · 5.07 mg free
- Rogue 6mgpH 7.96 · 2.37 mg free
MEASURED · STANFILL ET AL., NICOTINE & TOBACCO RESEARCH (2021)
Start with what confuses you
Plain-English guides, each one sourced
Short, honest explainers for the questions people actually search - no affiliate links, no upsell.
mg vs dots vs mg/g
Three ways to write the same strength - and why only one is a real dose.
READ →Is ZYN different in Europe?
Same brand, same "6" - genuinely different pouch. Format, moisture, and range.
READ →What is free nicotine?
The part that actually crosses your gum - and why pH decides how much there is.
READ →How a pouch hits vs a cigarette
A slow, broad curve instead of a sharp spike. What that means minute by minute.
READ →Nicotine pouch strength chart
From 1.5 mg to 16 mg+ - a starting map, and why the mg is only half the story.
READ →Nicotine pouch pH
Why two identical numbers can feel worlds apart, explained with the actual chemistry.
READ →
Try the mechanism
A "6 mg" pouch isn't one dose - it's a range.
Same 6 mg pouch. Slide the pH and see how much nicotine is actually free to absorb - the full Decoder does this for any product.
FREE NICOTINE AT pH - 6 MG POUCH
Henderson–Hasselbalch with nicotine pKa 8.01. Slider values are illustrative; product pH values elsewhere on this site are labeled measured or estimated.
Every number is labeled measured or estimated
We never blur the line between a lab result and a reasoned fill-in. If it's measured, we cite the study. If it's estimated, we say so - right next to the number.
Measured, and cited
pH and free-nicotine values come from published measurements - the same data behind the three-pouch comparison above. Sourced, dated, and linked.
Honest where data is thin
Public per-product pH doesn't exist for every pouch - especially newer and European ones. Those are flagged estimated, derived transparently from brand statements and ranges.
PRIMARY SOURCES INCLUDE STANFILL ET AL., NICOTINE & TOBACCO RESEARCH (2021) AND PUBLISHED CLINICAL PHARMACOKINETIC STUDIES. FULL CITATIONS ON EVERY GUIDE.
The questions people actually ask
- How much nicotine is really in a ZYN pouch?
- The label lists total nicotine per pouch - in the US, 3 mg or 6 mg for the original line. But the label is total content, not what your body absorbs. In one lab study a ZYN pouch labeled 6 mg measured about 5.43 mg total, of which roughly 3.71 mg was free (readily absorbable) nicotine, because of its pH.
- Is ZYN stronger in Europe than in the US?
- They are effectively different products. US ZYN is a drier, mini-format pouch with a narrow strength range; European ZYN is typically a moister, slim-format pouch offered in a much wider strength range. Same brand and number, different formulation.
- What do the dots on the can mean?
- Dots show where a product sits on that one brand's own strength ladder. They are not standardized: three dots from one brand can hold far more or less nicotine than three dots from another. When a milligram figure is printed, use it instead.
- What is free nicotine and why does it matter?
- Free (unprotonated) nicotine is the form that crosses the gum quickly. How much of a pouch is free depends on pH: measured pouches range from about pH 6.9 to 10.1, a free fraction anywhere from roughly 8% to 99%. Two pouches at the same milligram can deliver very different amounts.
- What's the difference between mg per pouch and mg per gram?
- mg per pouch is the whole dose. mg per gram is a concentration - multiply it by pouch weight to get the dose. A larger pouch at the same mg/g holds more nicotine, one reason a European slim can feel stronger than a US mini at the same concentration.